The Lord of Love
The sermon emphasizes the importance of understanding and obeying Christ's command to do this in remembrance of Him, and to lay down our lives for others as He did for us.
G.W. North emphasizes the profound significance of the bread and wine in the Lord's Supper, illustrating how they symbolize the body and blood of Christ, which embody His life and sacrifice. He explains that while the physical elements are mere tokens, they represent a deeper spiritual nourishment for those who truly understand and partake in faith. North highlights the call to obedience in Jesus' command to 'do this in remembrance of Me,' urging believers to recognize the sacrificial love of Christ and to respond by laying down their lives for Him. The sermon invites reflection on the covenant established through Christ's sacrifice and the transformative power it holds for believers. Ultimately, it is a call to engage with the Lord of love in a meaningful and understanding way.
Text
The bread, He said, is His body; it shall forever speak of the outward form in which His life was contained on earth. The wine, He said, is His blood; it represents to us the soul of Jesus of Nazareth, the essence of the inward life of a Man who lived totally after the Spirit. All that could possibly be pressed and wrung from Him, all His flavour and savour is in The cup of the New Covenant. It was as though He was saying, 'bury my body and lo, it shall rise up into the bread of everlasting life; liquidate Me and I shall but turn into the wine of spiritual life. Bruise Me, crush Me, grind Me, destroy Me in this form, bury Me and I shall rise, springing up again to become the indestructible life of millions more'.
In that Man was stored the covenanted Man. That life will only nourish and stimulate new men. None but they can partake of it. What He gives at His table will not feed flesh, nor does it fill the stomachs of men. It is only a token to the bodily appetites. The bread is a crumb, the wine a sip, but to those who see and understand in heart it is the feast of the Lord. To these all the loving appeal of Him attracts and commands their beings; they feel it in His voice, they see it in the bread and cup in His hand. 'Do this in remembrance of Me' He says. He is love, but He is the Lord of love. He is to be obeyed. 'Do it', He says.
But Lord, what is it Thou hast done? 'I saw the bread lying upon the table, I saw the cup standing by its side and I took the bread and broke it. I knew it was myself, so I took and broke it myself. I broke myself for thee. I knew that thou couldst not take me until I broke and gave myself to thee personally. I likewise took the cup. I knew the wine in it was my blood and the cup was the New Covenant in it. I knew that it had to be shed on the cross, but I poured out myself, my life, my all, for thee beforehand, and I took the cup of my life and drank it to covenant with thee in my blood. I knew that unless I did so thou couldst not live. That is what I did and this is what I still do. Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake as I did for thee? Wilt thou do this in remembrance of me?' If we do it, let us do it with understanding.
Sermon Outline
- The Lord of Love
- The Importance of Remembrance
- The Challenge to Follow Christ's Example
- Laying Down Our Lives for Others
- The Power of the New Covenant in Our Lives
- Christ's Sacrifice is the Foundation of Our Salvation
Key Quotes
“Bruise Me, crush Me, grind Me, destroy Me in this form, bury Me and I shall rise, springing up again to become the indestructible life of millions more” — G.W. North
“He is love, but He is the Lord of love. He is to be obeyed.” — G.W. North
“Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake as I did for thee? Wilt thou do this in remembrance of me?” — G.W. North
Application Points
- We must understand the significance of the bread and cup in the Lord's Supper and obey Christ's command to do this in remembrance of Him.
- We are called to lay down our lives for others, just as Christ sacrificed Himself for us.
- The power of the New Covenant can be applied in our lives by living out Christ's example of sacrifice and love.